Chapter Seventeen
"Can't I have a small hint? An itsy bitsy hint?" Cue the puppy dog eyes and pout from Mr. Blue eyes.
"Do you understand what a surprise means?" I asked trying to remain unphased.
"I can't handle suspense." He sighs. "I want to know and I want to know now!" Derric said in a whiny voice stomping his foot like a toddler. This went on for about a minute or so. I stood there with my arms crossed, secretly trying to catch my breath.
"Are you finished with your little temper tantrum?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Not yet, I wanted to see how far I could milk this out." He looked up at me with that sly smile and I knew he was messing with me from the twinkle in his eyes.
I rolled me eyes at him and started running again. He caught up easily laughing, "You're insufferable." I reminded him.
"So I've been told. If you just tell me the surprise, I'll stop being annoying." Derric grinned.
"I doubt that very much, being annoying is part of your nature."
"I take offense to that." He gasps.
"It was meant as an insult."
"I don't know how long I can take without knowing, the suspense is killing me." There he goes over-exaggerating again, like I said it's part of his nature.
"You'll live." I respond simply. Seeing the slight frown in his face made me soften my expression. "You've made it this far, and there's only a few days left." I pa this shoulder in comfort.
"I don't know if I can make it, there's so much about you I don't know."
"That's not completely true." I defend myself.
"I don't even know your name."
"You still call me Blondie." A nickname that was slowly growing on me.
"That's a placeholder to take my mind off of the fact your real name remains a mystery."
"There are still other things you know about my personality, that has to count for something." I stop running and face him completely.
"It does." Derric sighs resting his hands on his knees. There was something else going on with him, I just couldn't place my finger on it.
"Is everything ok?" I ask him concerned putting my hand on his shoulder for a second time that day.
He shook his head, not meeting my eyes. "It's stupid." He mumbles and my heart falls. Why doesn't he think he can't trust me.
"If it's bothering you it's clearly something important."
"It's my parents, they have been pressuring me about college lately. They want me to go to their Alma mater and refuse to acknowledge my intended major. We can't have a conversation anymore without arguing, it's frustrating."
"I'm sure they want what's best for you, and they think they know best. You have to be assertive with what you want because in the end, it's your life not theirs. It's going to be hard, but they have to accept that."
"My mom threatened to cancel the birthday party, and at first I didn't care, but then I realized I would never see you outside of this park."
Sensing the hurt and vulnerability in his voice struck a chord in me. I slowly walked closer to him and wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. He was caught of guard for a moment before reciprocating the hug.
He brought me closer to him, and held me there like he was afraid to let me go. "I'm not going anywhere." I remind him softly, my head nestled against his chest.
Derric didn't say anything after that, nor did he need to. We were simply two people who needed each other in the middle of the park.
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Bursting with happiness from my run with Derric, I walked home with a smile on my face. It seemed like nothing could bring my mood down, which should have bee a dead giveaway. Nothing ever goes right in my life, so I should have expected something would go wrong.
I walked into my room and threw my jacket on the bed. I was sitting on the edge of my bed to untie my laces when I noticed the presence of others in my room.
"What are you doing in my room?!" I say shocked, they scared the shit out of me. My three step-sisters were standing in the middle of my room unmoving. Harper pulls something from behind her back.
I recognize the blue gown in her hands immediately. I realized in my rush to make it to the park I forgot to lock my door.
"Where did you get this dress?" She asked beginning the interrogation.
"I bought it." I say quietly, averting my gaze to the floor.
"What is it for?" Emma continues.
"I...the-" I open and close my mouth a few times before deciding against speaking.
"Wait, did you really think you were going to Derric's party?" Harper chuckles incredulously. The other two begin laughing uncontrollably. I stayed silent as their mockery went on.
"Why would he invite a loser like you to the biggest party of the year?" Sophia joined in.
"Why are you going then?" I couldn't help but retort back harshly.
"Girls, I think it's time for Adira to learn her manners." Harper glowers at me, instilling a sense of fear in me for what came next.
Sophia restrained me as her two sisters rip my dress apart, piece by piece until there was nothing left but scraps. I begged them to stop, I pleaded with them, bargained to do whatever they wanted but they wouldn't listen.
I had no choice but to watch along helplessly as they destroyed all of my hard work for weeks. My blood, sweat and tears went into buying that dress and now there was nothing left, just shredded fabric among a pile of broken dreams.
There was nothing I could do to stop them, nothing I could do to make them understand.
"No one wants you here."
"You're ugly, and not invited to the party."
"You would have looked better off wearing a burlap sack."
"This dress belongs in the trash, just like you."
"When are you going to realize people are never going to love you Adira?" The words were said with an added sneer to add insult to injury.
I say nothing and let my gaze drop to the floor.
"Glad you know your place in the world."
The insults echoed long after they left. I was trapped in a room with the ruins of my dress and the false idea that I could be happy.
I broke down holding the silky pieces in my hands, letting my tears stain them even further. The party was in three days, there was no way I could afford another dress.
For once I was at a loss for what to do.
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I called Edmon, needing someone to talk to immediately. I wanted to cry, scream and punch something all at once and normally he knows how to calm myself down.
I met him by his house, needing to go far away from my own.
"What's wrong?" He asked, immediately pulling me in for a hug.
"They destroyed it, they destroyed my dress." I tell him still in shock.
"How?"
"Does it really matter how they did it?" I respond wishing I could go back to yesterday when things were calmer and my dress was safe.
"You need to stick up for yourself Adira. You can't let them get away with hurting you time after time."
"I don't let them get away with what they do."
"Don't lie, wee both know you let them walk all over you and then something like this happens and you end up extremely upset. The way they treat you is not fair, and they keep doing it because they know you won't stand up to them."
"I came to you for comfort." I say.
"And I'm giving you the truth." he replies just as simply.
"I don't need your lectures right now Edmon, if you're not going to help me, I'll leave."
"I'm trying to help you Adira."
"No you're trying to control me!" I shout at him. "Everyone has their own version of who I should be. It's my life and I may be a pushover but it's because its the only way to survive the shit show that is my family. I'm sick and tired of you telling me how to live my life. Fight back Adira, don't befriend Derric, Adira. I want to do what I want for once in my life, and your condescending tone and disapproving nods are making me crazy."
"I'm trying to protect you from getting hurt." He tries to defend himself but he's too late.
"You are trying to micromanage me because you think I'm a coward and too stupid to know how to look out for myself. Derric is a good person and I don't understand why you can't see that!"
"He's a typical high school jock, and only cares about one thing."
"He's nothing like that, you don't know him." I say defending Derric.
"You're naive and infatuated with the first guy who looks your way, it's pathetic!" I gasp, I never thought my so-called best friend would think so low of me. A wave a silent washes over us as his words begin to sink in.
"Adira I'm sor-" He tries to take his words back, but nothing can be unsaid.
I don't let him finish."Fuck you Edmon." I turn on my heels and walk the other direction, he can save his apology for someone who cares.
I came to Edmon looking for comfort and support and ended up more alone than I was in the first place.